SH tennis results from District posted

The Sacred Heart Gremlin Netters capped off a winning season with a strong showing at the Class 1, District tournament on Saturday, May 11 at the Marshall High School tennis complex.

In singles action, Chris Stratton took fourth place overall despite extremely windy and chilly conditions. He won his first match against Father Tolton, 6-0, 6-0 and played a tough three set match versus Marshall’s top contender, Jacob Ringlen.

Although he lost that match 3-6, 6-3, 0-6, according to head coach Susie Thompson.“That was the single best match Chris has played all season. He gave everything he had. I was really proud of his effort and his improvement over the season,” she said.

The Gremlins’ other singles entry, senior Erin Keethler lost in the first round to a very tough Marshall opponent, Ryan Vereyken 1-6, 0-6. “The score doesn’t really reflect how many outstanding points Erin had. Many of her games went to deuce in a no-add format. She is another player who really worked hard and played well throughout the season. She will be missed greatly by this team,” Thompson stated.

Junior Ky Oh and senior Jay Kim teamed up at number one doubles and advanced to the semi-final round where they fell to the eventual winners, Adam Keith and Ryan Curran from Osage. In the match for third place, Oh and Kim defeated the number two Osage team of Wilson and Schoening by a score of 10-3. “I really enjoyed watching Ky and Jay play together this season. They really work well as a team and their games complement each other nicely. They are terrific young men who have very bright futures ahead of them.”

In other doubles action, Jimmy Villalobos and Grace Callis posted a first round win over Hennessy and Goedrich from Father Tolton, 6-1, 6-0. They fell to the number one Marshall team of Gerritt Murphy and John Hadley, 1-6, 0-6. According to Thompson, “Again, the score didn’t accurately reflect their strong play. Many games were close. These two did a great job all season playing together. Villalobos had never played tennis prior to joining the team in March. That speaks volumes for his natural athletic ability.”

“I am very pleased with the progress this season. This team’s stellar work ethic and passion for tennis was awesome. They all exceeded my expectations. I am already looking forward to another fantastic year next year,” said SH tennis coach Susie Thompson. Submitted.